I Become a Landlady in the Game World
Chapter 258 - 160: Bye Bye, She’s Not Serving Anymore!

Chapter 258: Chapter 160: Bye Bye, She’s Not Serving Anymore!

The next moment, Charlot subconsciously voiced her inner thoughts.

Zhou Bai looked at Charlot’s incredulous expression, paused for a moment, and then said directly, "Our territory never had a lord before. We were always informed about what to do through tasks. I only became the village chief recently. Regardless of what’s possible or not, I will simply follow the tasks I receive."

"How can a territory possibly not have a lord? Do you even understand what a noble title represents?" Charlot scoffed. As a noble, she had always taken pride in her status, and seeing Zhou Bai, who was of a lower rank, handling the issue so casually naturally displeased her.

"How many territories like ours are there on this continent? How many noble titles like this exist?" Zhou Bai retorted.

She had never felt much about the noble identity because it didn’t bring any substantial help to the territory; in fact, she found it more troublesome.

Because as soon as she stepped forward and claimed the noble title as the village chief, the eyes cast upon her within the territory would multiply.

Many people would probably question whether she was the nonexistent lord.

Charlot was choked by Zhou Bai’s response.

Indeed, according to what Zhou Bai said, the number of nobles in the entire Human Clan Kingdom indeed exceeded ten thousand, and nobles from minor territories hardly counted for anything in large territories.

Just like her situation in San Sebastian, although a noble, she hardly had any real status, and could only seek a sense of presence at the lower levels and minor territories.

Still, despite the truth of the matter, Zhou Bai’s words sounded harsh to her ears.

She snorted lightly and said, "Don’t tell me you are the lord of Hope Village? Only, for some reason, you prefer to be the village chief!"

Anyway, she still believed that no one would play the fool and hand over a title that belonged to the nobility.

When Charlot spoke thus, the ears of those eavesdropping nearby twitched.

That’s what they thought too!

Previously, the lord hid the truth, perhaps to protect himself.

But now, there was no need for that! Everyone knew that the existence of the territory depended on the lord; no one could do anything to the lord.

So, was she the lord or not?

Zhou Bai naturally noticed the probing glances around her, feeling helpless.

Just as she expected!

"Think what you will, if I, as the village chief, can be granted a nobility title, I will accept that title according to my tasks. If not, it’s enough that our territory has this title," Zhou Bai continued.

Charlot looked at Zhou Bai’s indifferent expression and did not insist on pushing the theory that Zhou Bai was the lord.

She indeed didn’t quite fit the part.

As a woman becoming the village chief of the territory, she must have some capabilities, and indeed must have put a lot of effort into her profession.

If she was the lord, why would she toil so much and attract suspicion for no reason?

After adjusting her emotions, she returned to her previous commanding demeanor, "The title is meant for the lord of Hope Village. If you are not the lord, sorry, even with the lord’s authorization, you cannot have it. Your lord does not have this qualification."

"Then grant it to the lord of Hope Village! If there really is one, whether to use it or not is her affair, no need for me to step forward, the less trouble for me," Zhou Bai said nonchalantly.

"...Hmm." Charlot didn’t dwell on the issue any longer.

After all, delivering the notification of the ceremony was all she had to do.

As long as the other party was willing to reveal their identity, no one could falsely claim the lord’s identity.

"Do we need a specific ceremony for the grant?" Zhou Bai asked.

Listening to this, Charlot took out a magic scroll and recited several spells towards it.

At the end of the spells, a gleam of light burst from the magic scroll.

At that moment, Zhou Bai noticed that her personal panel had updated, adding two words behind Hope Village Lord.

[Identity: Hope Village Lord (Viscount)]

Although she saw the change, Zhou Bai’s expression did not reveal the slightest hint.

This caught Charlot’s attention, erasing the last bit of doubt in her heart.

The next moment, Charlot tossed the scroll to Zhou Bai, "Just keep this somewhere! The information has been recorded. All the territory lords will know that the Hope Village Lord has acquired the Viscount title."

Zhou Bai took the scroll, paused her expression, yet curiously asked, "Does every territory necessarily have a lord? Does succeeding in the grant prove that our territory has a lord?"

Many people around were also concerned about Zhou Bai’s question.

The matter of whether Hope Village had a lord or not had troubled many for a long time.

"Every territory definitely has a lord, and since the grant was successful, it means that your territory has a lord. But your lord has really concealed themselves deeply!" Charlot showed a hint of surprise in her expression.

She wondered what the Hope Village lord was thinking—there was no good reason to hide a lord’s identity.

"Maybe she has some reasons she doesn’t want to disclose. I think it’s good as it is. In the territory, everyone chooses their own profession based on their contribution value and acts according to their tasks. It’s more orderly," Zhou Bai stated directly.

She meant it sincerely.

As an ordinary person, she could develop the territory into what she wanted in her own quiet way.

As a lord, or rather, a lord in the eyes of others who oversaw a territory, she always felt it would be a burden to achieve the aforementioned.

Therefore, for the good of the territory and for her own sake, it was better to keep it hidden!

She felt more at ease, and so did everyone in the territory.

Charlot was non-committal.

"Now that the knighting is done, you can do as you please," Zhou Bai said, taking Bayer and leaving.

"Wait, aren’t you going to host us?" Charlot was instantly confused.

They just left like that?

They knew that in Bengala Town, they stayed in the best hotels and ate the finest food, all provided out of friendship by the mayor of Bengala Town.

And here in Hope Village, were they just left to their own devices? No arrangements for their accommodation?

Listening to the implications in Charlot’s words, Zhou Bai couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. Then, somewhat apologetically, she said, "I’m just the acting village chief of the territory, I don’t have the authority to handle the territory’s wealth. I too get paid a wage from the territory. Hosting you is beyond my abilities, you should look for the lord!"

Bye-bye then, she would not serve them!

With that, Zhou Bai and Bayer left, patting their behinds.

Finally, the matter was dealt with on the surface.

She felt her preemptive approach wasn’t bad!

Cast doubt on her, then clear her name a bit, at least publicly she was now distanced from the identity of the lord.

Charlot watched incredulously as Zhou Bai and Bayer’s figures got farther away, gnashing her teeth.

Beside her, many knights also wore faces of astonishment.

What? Did that mean they had to cover their own expenses?

Immediately, gazes swept towards Charlot before someone cautiously asked, "My lord, are we still entering?"

"Enter!" Charlot gritted her teeth.

He now felt that Hope Village had wronged them!

He really wanted to see what kind of development this Hope Village, with its elusive lord, could achieve.

The next moment, mounted on horse beasts, the entire knight team entered the territory of Hope Village.

The merchant team following them, after watching this "comedy show," also grew curious.

Shortly after paying the very low "city entrance fee," the rest of the merchant team also entered the territory, and some teams who had agreements with Hope Village were even more excited.

The goods from Hope Village had made them a fortune, and this time in Hope Village itself, they definitely wanted to stock up more!

Meanwhile, the professionals around, seeing the team from Bengala Town entering the territory, also started discussing curiously.

"Did you hear? Our Hope Village has a lord!"

"That definitely confirms the rumors."

"I told you there must be one."

"Who could it be, though?"

"Village Chief Zhou Bai, huh! She is certainly suspicious! It’s her who’s the village chief, her who was preparing to receive the knighthood, and most importantly, her family was among the first to enter Hope Village."

"Her being the village chief is due to her capabilities, let’s be real, in terms of strength, she is definitely one of the top ones. Her contribution value is far ahead. Choosing her as the acting village chief was more than suitable. As for being one of the first to enter Hope Village, if she planned early on to hide her identity, just mingling in the crowd unnoticed would do."

"That makes sense."

"If not her, then who? I can’t think of anyone!"

"There are so many people in the territory; hiding, really, wouldn’t be too hard."

"Forget it, as long as the territory thrives, that’s what matters."

"Right, if the territory is thriving, I’m thankful to her!"

"..."

Meanwhile, Charlot and the others, now inside the territory, looked around Hope Village, their eyes simultaneously flickering with surprise.

A territory established just over a month ago, thriving like this???